Questions to Ask When Selecting a Graduate School

• Depth in Faculty: How many faculty members does the department have? Does the department's reputation rest heavily upon the shoulders of just one or two professors?

• Diversity in the Faculty: Is there a variety of points of view in the department or are most of the faculty members' approach to the discipline rather single-minded? Determine if the faculty research is being done in an area in which you are interested.

• Faculty Publications: What have the faculty members published lately? This will give you an idea if the faculty's interests are similar to your own.

• Availability of Faculty: Check out the student/faculty ratio.

• Internships, Assistantships and Co-ops: Does the program have any planned practical experience? If so, where would you be likely to work and what would you do?

• Fellowships and Funds: How much fellowship money is available? How many students receive fellowship? Are you likely to be among the lucky few?

• Ratings of Graduate Programs: Check out studies and ratings of graduate departments. Read them carefully.

• Ph.D. Production: How many Ph.D.s has this department produced yearly? What is the average length of time it takes to complete the degree?

• Assistance in Finding a Job: What percentage of graduates and degree candidates in this department succeed in finding employment? To what extent is the department helpful in enabling the graduate to find suitable work? What kinds of employment do graduates of the program you are considering most frequently take?

• Admissions Preference: Does the department prefer to have applicants fresh out of undergraduate school? Or do they prefer applicants having work experience relevant to their field?

• Versatility: To what extent can you use the degree from this department to get into other kinds of work? Is there much latitude for applying this degree to other fields?

• Attrition: Do students of this graduate department frequently fail to complete their degree programs?